Boot and shoe



VJOHN c. PLUMER, or PORTLAND, MAINE.

LBOO'I` AND SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 32,487, dated June 4, 181.

constructed according to the principles of my invention, Fig. 2 represents a transverse section of the same at the line m w of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of the same at the line g/ .y of Fig.` l, Fig. 4 represents a transverse section of the same at the line e z of Fig. l, and Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal section of the same following the middle` line of the sole.

The objects ofmy invention are to make shoes and bootsconform to the bony and ligamentous structure of the natural foot,

and to obviate the disadvantages which rea sult from the use of boots and shoes con- Astructed in the methods heretofore practiced.

My invention is divided into parts which may be used separately or in combination, but I believe that a boot or shoe of the best construction will be obtained by using all the parts of my invention in combination in the same bootor shoe. Y

The first part of myinvention has reference to that portion of the sole which is beneath the ball of the foot. Previous to my invention it has been customary to construct the sole at this portionof equal or nearly equal thickness transversely; andas the sole of the shoe is convex on its exterior, the interior is correspondingly concave. ,Asole of this construction is directly the reverse in form of thebony and ligamentous structure of the natural foot, which has the form of a transverse arch and is concave on its under side; hence as the foot is constricted by the upper leather of the shoe the tendency is to `depress the transverse :archinto the concavity of the sole ofthe shoe and to deform the foot, bunion, or the dislocation of the bones of the great toe, being fre quently produced.

The object-of the lfirst pa'rt ofmy invengtion-is toobviate this tendency `and itl-con- `Lsists vincombining A an -outer soleitha'tis convex'oryflat eXteriorly,-with an insole that is `convex at its upper surface, the lconvexity` of theinsole corresponding in position with the rise of the transverse arch of the foot, so that the depression thereof is eectually prevented.

The second part of my invention has reference to that portion of the sole which connects the heel with the portion beneath the ball of the foot and which is commonly called the shank. Its object is to support `this portion of the foot both longitudinally and transversely, and it consists in a shank which is transversely convex at its upper surface, in contradistinction to being transversely 4concave at its upper surface as has been the case with boot and shoe ShanksV heretofore in use. y

The third part of my invention has reference to the shank and heel of a boot or shoe. The human foot is composedof la 'series of bones and liagaments, `or fleshy muscles, and is varched longitudinally, the highest portion of the'underside of the longitudinal `arch being beneath the instep. Vhen the heel rests upon a support which is higher than the level of the ball of the foot, the members of which it .is composed tend to assume a more arched form, and if this tendency be prevented by the boot or shoe, there is a constant strain upon the foot,

which sometimes results in the breaking down of the longitudinal arch of the foot, thereby producing fiat or splay foot, and is yalways accompanied by the sensation of weariness. The shanks of ordinary heeled shoes have hitherto been made of about the same convexity longitudinally that they would have been if the shoes had been made without heels, moreover the heels of the shoes have been set so far back and have been so short that they do not support the anterior portion of the heel of the human foot to which a considerable amount of the pressure in walking is applied; hence there has been a constant tendency in the foot to` move forward inthe shoe, and as this `tendency. has been counteracted only bythe pressure of the upper leather upon the instep, the tendency has been Vto depress the instep and break down the longitudinal arch of the foot. The object of this part of my inven- 105 tion is to prevent this tendency `and afford an efficient support lfor the anterior portion of the heelxof thevlfoot; and it consists in combining the heel of a boot or shoe Vwith the `sole -thereof in such-manner that thel ofthe foot, it is advantageous to carry thev front edge of the inner quarter as far forward as the most hollow portion of that hollow, and it has been customary hitherto to make the quarters at the oppositesides of the foot to extend equal distances forward from a central seam at the back of the A shoe. By this mode of construction the seam at the front of the outside quarter is located opposite the corresponding seam at the front of the inside quarter, and is immediately over or in close proximity with the bony projection at the outer side of the foot, which is frequently galled by the pressure of the seam. The object of this part of my invention is to relieve the bony projection of the foot from the pressure of the seam without interfering with the fit of the shoe; and it consists in combining the front piece with quarters at the opposite sides of the foot rof unequal length, so that while the inner quarter extends sufficiently far forward to insure a close fit of the leather to the inner side of the foot, the seam at the front side of the outside quarter is between the bony projection of the foot and the heel.

All the parts of my invention are embodied in the shoe represented in the accompanying drawings. In this shoe the outsole. (a) and the insole (b Q) are sep-l arated by a4 filling (c) of such form that the upper surface of the central part (5') of the insole protrudes into the shoe above the lateral portions (Z) o) of the insole, while the outer surface of the out-sole (a) is slightly convex as usual. The protrusion of the insole thus produced corresponds with the rise of the central portion of the transverse arch of the foot, so that this arch is prevented from being broken down by the constriction of the upper leather. The filling (c) gradually decreases in thickness as it approaches the toe of the shoe, so that the inner surface of the insole is there parallel or thereabout with the outer surface of the outsole (a). The filling (c) also ex; tends toward the heel of the shoe through the shank (d), so that the upper surface of the insole of the shank is convex while the external surface of the shank is of the usual form, which is generally convex; the insole at the shank is thus protruded upward to support the hollow of the foot.

The heel of the shoe represented is extended forward and its anterior part is raised to support the insole. The front edge of the heel may be extended with advantage to a distance from the heel of the shoe equal to one third the whole length of the shoe, and as a firm support is thereby furnished for the foot beneath the point at which the bones of the leg are jointed to the bones of the foot, the heel may be cut away behind (as shown at g) so as to diminish the total length of the sole and heel of the shoe. As t-he front portion of the sole (a) beneath the ball of the foot is not shifted forward by this extension of the heel, the shank of my improved shoe is shorter than the shanks of shoes hitherto made; and as the pressure of the anterior part of the heel of the foot is sustained by the heel, instead of by the shank, the employment of steel shank-plates, or other means to prevent the shank from being broken down, and to sustain the foot, are unnecessary, and

the. shank may be made more flexible than in shoes or boots hitherto made.

The difference between my combination of the heel with the sole, and the old mode maybe seen by a comparison of the representation ofthe heel and sole of my shoe in Fig. 1 with the dotted line it h, whichr represents the outline of the corresponding portions of ashoe of the old construction. In order to afford a firm lateral support for the heel of the foot, the heel of the shoe at the periphery is raised above its central portion, thus forming lateral rims that sustain the sides of the heel ofthe foot and relieve the most protuberant portion thereof of a portion of the pressure to which it is subjected in a shoe of the common construction.

The quarters at the opposite sides of the shoe arev of unequal length; that on the inner side (j) extends forward from the heel about I three-sevenths of the total length of the shoe, terminating at the middle seam The outer quarter is much shorter, the position of its front edge being indicated by the dotted line Z Fig. 5; as a general rule the distance of its front edge, where it meets the sole, from the heel of the shoe, should be about one-third of the total length of the shoe.

In order to construct boots and shoes embodying the first three parts of my invention, a last should be provided which is the counter part of the interior of the shoe intended to be made, having concave depressions in the bottom to correspond with the transverse rise of the central portions of the insole. But a shoe may be constructed according to my invention by putting its parts together upon an ordinary last and by fitting a false insole of the proper form into it after the last has been withdrawn. The false insole introduced may be kept in place by an adhesive cement, such as glue or india rubber composition, or by means of pegs or tacks.

The first three parts of my invention are applicable to boots as Well as shoes; the fourth part is applicable especially to shoes, but may be applied to those boots Which have a back seam.

Having thus described a shoe embodying all my improvements, What I claim as my invention in boots and shoes is.

1. The combination of a sole that is.flat

l or convex exteriorly with an insole that is 2, .A shank that is convex at its upper sur- 15 face substantially as described.

3. The combination of an elongated heel With the sole, substantially as described.

4L. The combination of the front piece of the upper leather With quarters of unequal 2o length, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JOHN o. PLUMER.

Witnesses:

E. S. RENWICK, W. L. BENNEM.- 

